CFPB head says people need ‘to help themselves’

After becoming head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—a job for which she had little if any relevant experience—Kathleen Kraninger went on what she called a three-month “listening tour” to learn how best to safeguard the public from greedy banks, credit-card companies and lenders.

This week she revealed what she’d learned.

“Empowering consumers to help themselves, protect their own interests, and choose the financial products and services that best fit their needs is vital to preventing consumer harm and building financial well-being,” Kraninger said in a speech to the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank.